Victimisation from intimate partner rape in Uganda: Sex differences, psychological concomitants, and the effect of educational level

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate victimization from intimate partner rape (IPR) in Uganda among both women and men, the effect of educational level, and psychological concomitants. Method: A questionnaire was completed by 609 females and 420 males in Uganda. The mean age was 31.5 (SD 10.9) for females and 34.4 (SD 11.3) for males. Results: Females reported significantly higher frequencies of victimization from IPR than males. Respondents with no education reported significantly higher frequencies of victimization than others. Respondents who had been more than average victimized from IPR scored significantly higher on depression and anxiety and had significantly lower self-esteem than others. Females who had been victimized more than average scored significantly lower on self-esteem than the other groups. Conclusions: Not only females but also males were found to have been victimized from IPR. Victimization was linked to increased levels of negative psychological concomitants in both females and males.

Forms of Intimate Partner Rape Experienced by Latinas With and Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects a large proportion of women in the United States and is a serious public health concern. Rates of IPV are even higher for Latinas in the United States. Approximately, 10% of women experience intimate partner rape in their lifetime, and IPV and intimate partner rape have been strongly linked to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, little research has been done to distinguish different forms of intimate partner rape and their effects. This study examined intimate partner rape for 94 Spanish-speaking Latinas with and without a diagnosis of PTSD. Two forms of rape were assessed, physically forced rape and psychologically coerced rape, and 39% of the women were diagnosed with PTSD. A logistic regression (N = 62) was used to assess the relationship between PTSD and forms of rape. Results indicated that Latinas with PTSD reported more physically forced rape than Latinas without a diagnosis of PTSD. No significant difference in PTSD diagnosis was found for psychologically coerced rape. Future research should focus on investigating factors that potentially mediate the relationship between physically forced rape and PTSD.

Credibility in context: Jury education and intimate partner rape

This article reflects critically on the scope of educational jury directions currently utilised in sexual offence cases in England and Wales and argues for their extension to circumstances specifically arising in cases of so-called ‘domestic’ or intimate partner rape. This position is defended as a necessary step to promote more accurate credibility assessment of claims of sexual violence and the prospects of just trial outcomes for survivors in this subcategory of rape cases.

Associations Between Sexual Behavior Norm Beliefs in Relationships and Intimate Partner Rape Judgments

Using a community sample ( n = 296), we investigated the associations between sexual behavior norm beliefs, acceptance of partner rape, judgments that non-consensual partner sex is “wrong not rape,” and decisions if non-consensual partner sex should be charged as rape. Sexual behavior norm beliefs were associated both directly and indirectly with latter components in the model related to acceptance of non-consensual partner sex judgments and charging rape judgments. In addition, participant gender moderated the model, such that many of the associations between the variables were stronger for males than for females. The results have implications for understanding how individuals label rape between intimate partners.